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Bali’s Sidemen Village Offers Tourists A Taste Of Traditional Island Life

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Bali is a truly multifaceted island. Boasting rugged coastlines and dense jungle, a bustling capital city, and quaint, quiet villages.

Sidemen Village in Karangasem Regency is a traditional Balinese village that is fast gaining the attention of travelers from all around the world.

Sideman Village Bali rice field

If you can conjure an image of a typical Balinese village in your mind, it’s probably going to look a lot like Sidemen. Dreamy, jungly, and an absolute must-visit during your trip to the Island of the Gods.

Located in the heart of Karangsaem Regency, the Sidemen Village is a 90-minute drive from central Ubud or just over an hour from the coastal resort of Sanur.

Perfect for a day trip or a few days of respite on a long journey through Bali, Sidemen offers cultural gems, amazing food, and a chance to connect with the Balinese way of life. 

@rachforthestars__ Sidemen, Bali 📍 #bali #balitravel #balitiktok #travel #traveltiktok ♬ love nwantinti (ah ah ah) – CKay

The first stop on a visit to Sidemen is a tour of the rice fields.

The island of Bali is home to many important rice terraces, the most famous of which are Tegallalang, Jatiluwih, and Munduk. Naturally, being as famous as they are, these three island landscapes draw in hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

If you’re looking to experience the rice fields in a quieter and more relaxed way, Sidemen Rice Terraces are for you. 

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@okamahendraid Sidemen Rice Terrace Karangasem Bali #fyp #fypシ #foryou #foryoupage #beranda #xyzbca #tiktokbali #tiktokindonesia #aesthetic ♬ original sound – I Kadek Oka Mahendra

The Sidemen Rice Terraces are open to visit by donation, and you are free to follow the farm track pathways through the agricultural landscape.

The rice terraces are indescribably picturesque and play an important role in the cultural heritage of rural Balinese communities.

There are a few housekeeping rules to remember when visiting rice fields anywhere in Bali:

  • Never walk into the rice paddy to take photos or pick the rice for yourself. While the paddies are popular photo spots, they are, first and foremost, a source of food and income for local communities. Farmers work tirelessly to maintain the fields and grow their crops; their land and livelihoods must always be respected by visitors.
  • Never litter and dress modestly and respectfully, remembering that bikinis and board shorts are designed for the beach.
@alikainwanderlust New Blog Post: Things to do in Sidemen you don’t want to miss 🤍 #sidemenbali #wapadiume #kaphaspa #balitraveltiktok #balitravel ♬ original sound – Alika

If you’re the creative type, Sidemen has a lot to offer, from cooking classes to silver-making sessions; you can get a taste of the artisan skills of rural Bali.

Agung Silver in Sidemen offers an incredible silver-making course. Guests can learn to make a ring, bracelet, or even a necklace pendant in the space of just three hours.

Using traditional silver-making techniques and artisanal tools, the team at Agung Silver guides visitors in designing, making, fitting, and polishing their own silver jewelry.

It is a real skill to master, and the teachers are kind, understanding, and exceptionally talented.

Silver classes start at IDR 450,000 for 3 hours and include 5 grams of silver.

If you want to make a bigger piece, you absolutely can. The studio charges an extra IDR 50,000 per gram of extra silver used. 

Sidemen village is a dream for waterfall chasers and adventure lovers. Tukad Cepung is one of Bali’s most magnificent waterfalls.

Located deep in the jungle outside of Sidemen Village, the waterfall is like something out of a children’s fairytale or something that you think you’d only ever see in National Geographic.

The best time to visit Tukad Cepung is in the early morning; while it rarely gets crazy busy, if you want to have the waterfall to yourself…you better get there before anyone else!

@zoelnaghi Wajib coba! Tukad Cepung Waterfall 😍 #bali #foryou ♬ Dominique Koplo – Yofve Squidward

Sidemen is an ideal day trip from Ubud or even Sanur. If you have the time, stay a few nights in Sidemen Village.

Ease into the slower and more relaxed pace of life, breathe in the clean countryside air, and take time to get to know the local community.

There are plenty of accommodation options in Sidemen Village, many offering stunning views of the jungle or the rice paddies.

In true Bali form, there is something for every budget. Darmada Eco Resort is a cute local guest house great for mid-budget explorers, or if you want to splurge, check out Samanvaya Luxury Resort and Spa.

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See

Saturday 18th of March 2023

Sidemen village? Sound so anglo. Don't you hv a Balinese name?

See

Wednesday 22nd of March 2023

@raymond,

raymond

Tuesday 21st of March 2023

@See, Ya whats the deal? Some bastardized English translation?

Al

Wednesday 15th of March 2023

Sideman is the last bastion of agricultural Bali encompassing iconic unimpeeched rice fields, jungle habitat, rivers and 'least we forget', Mount Agung topping out at 4km in height, within 20km's of the coast line.

Sadly, the regency has stopped the collection of all rubbish! That said, old ways still continue with dumping shit everywhere. I lived on tepi sungai (sangkan gn.) for 8 months and couldn't believe how many rubbish bags full of nappies I was pulling out of the river daily!

With Karangasem being one of the less affluent regency in Bali, Sideman has huge potential as an eco friendly and sustainable international destination, for all. The regency has done an excellent job protecting and prohibiting development, clearly identifying protected 'Green Zones'.

Burning plastic, dumping rubbish, excessive pesticides usage. Please for the love of God... put more effort into blessing mother earth. As they say, 'you wouldn't shit in the bed and sleep in it to...'.

Amanda

Sunday 19th of March 2023

@Al, until there is some kind of infrastructure in place to, perhaps, incinerate the rubbish I believe the rubbish issue will continue. With no where to take the rubbish, it ends up in the dry river beds, then, when it rains, into the sea. We ran a dive resort in Padang Bai; all resort waste went into wheelie bins and was collected, daily, by a truck. We can only assume, due to lack of facilities, that the waste went into the river valley. Next day, whilst diving, we would collect floating plastic from the sea, putting it into the bins on our return, to start the whole process over again. Sad but true. The infrastructure was never in place to deal with the sheer number of tourist visitors to Bali, affecting sewage, water and litter.

Wayan Bo

Tuesday 14th of March 2023

Hopefully rice fields remain untouched by excavating machines in future.

Raymond

Friday 17th of March 2023

@Wayan Bo, Growing some great one up there Bro.